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I frown, shocked out of my thoughts by her words. “What are you talking about?”

“Just because the baby is yours doesn’t mean that we have to be together. We can be... friends, or try to be, but that’s it.”

“Friends,” I say slowly, trying out the word in my mouth.

Friends with Meredith Whitlock, the woman that I’ve been in love with since I was a kid. Sounds ridiculous, even thinking about it, but if that’s all she’ll give me... “Sure. Of course. We’ll be friends.”

“And co-parents.”

“And co-parents.”

I look down at her and can’t stop looking at her mouth, so I clear my throat and look away. “When is your next appointment?”

“Two weeks. The seventeenth, at nine.”

I quickly put it in my phone calendar. “I’ll be there. And if you needanything...”

“I’m fine.” Her voice sounds flat and slightly annoyed, so I let it go.

She leaves my office, grabs her things, and leaves me there with my head spinning.

I’m going to be a father. I never had one worth a shit, so this means a lot to me. And also scares the absolute hell out of me.

Where do I even start?

The only father my age I even know is Grayson, and it’s not like I can ask him for advice. God, what a tangled web we weave.

I don’t drink a drop that night, and I sleep like a baby.

* * *

The next morning,way too early, my phone starts to ring and buzz on the nightstand.

I groan and pick it up, squinting at the phone.

Grayson.

Why is he calling soearly?

“What do you want?”

He laughs on the other line. “Who pissed in your cornflakes?”

“You, calling me before nine a.m. What’s so important?”

“Your commercial.”

“My what?” I’ve pretty much completely forgotten about it, but I know Grayson and his team worked long into the night editing the footage and uploading it to social media and a television channel or two.

“You know, your commercial? The one we filmed yesterday? It’s blowing up on social media, so I wanted to warn you that the phone is going to be ringing off the hook today, for your grand opening. Not to mention the walk-ins.”

“What do you mean, blown up?” I've always been bad at technology.

“You’re soold,” Grayson groans. “It’s doing well, millions of views, that kind of thing. Comments, questions. Meredith will have a ton of work to do.”

That makes me feel a bit uneasy, so I gloss over it. “Well, thank you, Grayson. I’m really glad it’s doing so well.”

“I don’t think you understand. It’s not your part that’s doing well. It’s Meredith’s.”